


「紅蓮」

by Evoxine



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M, also not a very angsty fic, but they do have a thing i swear, gureshin is a minor/side pairing, not a very romantic fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 13:42:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14498223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evoxine/pseuds/Evoxine
Summary: Humans have waged a war with the vampires for far too long.When faced with a rare opportunity to finally succeed in reclaiming what is rightfully theirs, Major Kim Jongin jumps at it.So what if it's a little unconventional?





	「紅蓮」

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~
> 
> 1: This fic is a slight departure from what I usually write; more plot, less romance, less porn... Hopefully, you'll still like it!  
> 2: While I will say that they do not end up together in the way they usually do in my other fics, they still do have a connection, so to speak.  
> 3: The AU should be explained pretty clearly throughout the series, but please do ask if you have any questions!  
> 4: Also, I chose vampires just because I was on an OnS spree recently lmao

“Major!”

Jongin, surrounded by an assemblage of weapons needed to be cleaned, doesn’t turn around or look up from his work. He merely grunts in acknowledgement, hands steady as they continue polishing the heavy blade of a double-handed sword.

“There have been sightings reported along the outskirts of town,” a cadet says. “The Colonel wants your team to go and investigate.”

“How many were sighted?”

“Three, sir.”

“Tell him to send Taeyong’s team instead,” Jongin says, setting the weapon aside and rolling out the stiffness in his wrists. “They need the practice anyway.”

He can sense the cadet’s hesitation – it’s known to every single soldier serving under Junmyeon that the Colonel hates it when his orders are ignored –, and still he doesn’t turn around.

“Ah – yes, sir.”

The cadet leaves. As soon as the door swings shut, Jongin lets out a breath and pushes his hair out of his eyes. He’ll need a haircut soon, he muses, getting up to place the cleaned weapons back in their respective cabinets. There are still many more that need to be cleaned, but he’ll deal with those after he gets some caffeine in his system.

The hallways are quiet, fluorescent lights drenching the walls in a shade of blue that hurts Jongin’s eyes. The place is a maze, but Jongin has over a decade of experience in navigating these corridors, and he relies heavily on what is now innate knowledge to find his way to the mess hall.

It’s always rowdy in here, but that’s to be expected, what with hundreds of soldiers cooped up underground with nothing to do apart from finding entertainment and company in each other. Several soldiers salute him when he enters – Jongin assumes they’re new –, and he returns them with a nod of his head.

“Oi,” a familiar voice calls from amongst the chaos. Jongin recognizes the voice as Chanyeol’s. “Wanna play a game?”

“Can’t,” Jongin replies, making a beeline for the coffee machines. “Got work to do. Don’t you?”

Chanyeol shrugs. “I can do them later.”

Snorting, Jongin pours himself a large mug of coffee, adds three packets of sugar (no cream), and cradles the mug in his hands as he makes his way back through the fray.

“There’s a reason why you miss out on so many missions,” he says over his shoulder. “Do your damn work, I don’t want to have to cover for your procrastinating ass yet again.”

“Is that an order?” Chanyeol asks, grinning.

“As if ordering you to do work will actually produce results,” Jongin says, rolling his eyes. “See ya.”

 

 

 

  
The heels of his boots click steadily across the linoleum floor as Jongin paces in a wide circle around a class of new recruits. While many of their soldiers come from within their own walls (thanks to the help of technology in speeding up the aging process), there are times that they have had to venture out into the cities in order to hunt down surviving humans that are willing to fight with them.

It’s been a long, tiring war, and Jongin has had to face countless deaths of his comrades. Many respected men and women have fallen at the hands of the vampires, and the longest Jongin’s team has gone without needing a new addition is five months. He holds onto the name tags of each team member lost – they reside in a small, nondescript box that he keeps on a shelf in his room. Death in and of itself doesn’t bother Jongin. No, it’s the fact that he’s always left helpless in its wake. He’d lost his parents back when he was eight, and Junmyeon had found him crying over their bloodless bodies during one of his reconnaissance missions. Ever since that day, death has been ever-present in his life. Jongin’s still unable to figure out how to stop its reign.

Now, as he walks around the room and lets Minho’s voice wash over him, Jongin can’t help but think that many of these new, baby-faced cadets will likely die before their next birthday. One or two might end up assigned to his squad, and Jongin will have to work on building a bond of trust and camaraderie with him or her, only to have it, inevitably, snatched away from him.

“Jongin.”

Minho’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts.

“Lieutenant Colonel?”

Minho raises an eyebrow in thinly-veiled amusement.

“These cadets are now your responsibility. As per usual, you have two months to get them ready for battle.” At Jongin’s nod, Minho turns back to the cadets. “The date of the final examination will be posted on the bulletin boards by the end of next week – team assignments will be done based on your scores. Those who fail will have to go through training again. Work hard.”

The trainees salute him, staggered shouts of _Sir!_ bouncing around the room. Minho returns the salute and leaves, back straight and shoulders squared as he strides out. Jongin feels over a hundred pairs of nervous eyes turn on him, and he waits for another beat or two before shrugging out of his uniform jacket.

Signalling for Jongdae to ready his clipboard, Jongin clears his throat and rests a hand on the hilt of his katana.

“Your first task,” he says, voice impassive as his words are carried clearly across the room. “Is to spar with me. Find a partner and warm up. We’ll start in ten minutes.”

A low wave of hushed whispers immediately erupts amongst the cadets. Jongin’s pretty sure half of them are close to shitting their pants right about now. But if they’re scared of facing him, how are they going to face vampires once they’re out there and fighting for humanity? Tough love, Jongin likes to call it. Jongdae simply tells him that he’s an asshole.

“Grab a sword,” Jongin instructs, gesturing to a shelf of training swords by one wall of the room. The sword is everyone’s starting weapon, and if one wishes to obtain other ones, they’ll have to go through more training.

“But, uhm, sir,” someone squeaks, a hand in the air. “We’ve never used one before.”

“The fastest way to learn something is to do it,” Jongin says. He draws his own from its scabbard. “Don’t worry, no one will die here.”

“Sir, what if we accidentally hurt you?”

Jongin’s lips lift. “If a bunch of inexperienced newbies manage to hurt me, then I do not deserve to be your trainer nor your superior. Get a sword and line up in your pairs.”

The first pair steps up, looking absolutely terrified. Jongin notes that the blond boy on the left is holding the sword in an honest-to-god horrible grip. He doesn’t say anything, however – the boy will figure it out for himself.

“Ready?”

They’re not ready, but Jongin lunges forward all the same. In three, precise swings of his sword, he disarms the duo, their weapons clattering to the ground by their feet.

“Open your eyes,” Jongin says, tapping the flat of his blade against the blond’s trembling chin. “Didn’t I say I wouldn’t hurt you?”

Jongin lowers his weapon and looks at the rest of the trainees.

“When I say something, I mean it. Each and every one of you will have to learn how to trust a fellow soldier, even if it’s someone you’ve just met. Trust is key. Without trust, there will be no teamwork. Without teamwork, you’ll be dead in seconds. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

Jongin turns his gaze back to the duo. “Report to Captain Kim. Next!”

 

 

 

  
A shadow falls over his dinner, and Jongin glances up to see Junmyeon’s friendly, yet serious, face looming over him. It’s sort of cute, because Junmyeon can only really loom over someone when they’re sitting.

“Hi,” he says slowly. “Need something?”

“Yes,” Junmyeon says, settling into the vacant seat opposite Jongin. “Taeyong’s squad looked into the reported sightings, like you so _kindly_ told them to.” Jongin snorts. “They stumbled upon a whole coven.”

Jongin blinks, his fork a few centimetres away from his lips. “A whole coven?”

Junmyeon slides a tablet onto the table. “Photos are in here. We’re assuming that this coven is led by a direct descendant of the Queen.”

“How’s that?”

“Well, for one, they’re clad in black. Many of them don’t have the typical red eyes that lesser vampires have. Several of them are also able to walk out in the sunlight without much protection. No information yet on their physical strengths.”

Finishing the rest of his dinner in one large mouthful, Jongin powers up the tablet and flicks through some photographs. He sees a dozen or so vampires dressed in black from head to toe, drastically different from the vampires that they usually fight, who are clothed in white.

“We’ll need to get rid of them,” Junmyeon says. “They’re too close to our base for comfort, and there are several survivor camps above ground that live in the area too.”

Jongin sighs. “We still have a whole bunch of recruits to train. My squad is two men short. I don’t think it’s –”

“I know,” Junmyeon interrupts. “I’m not asking you to set out immediately. We can wait for a month or so, but you’ll have to push the recruits a little harder than usual.”

“Are you sure about that?” Jongin asks, sipping at his tea. “I might actually break them this time.”

“Try not to,” Junmyeon says, a sliver of a smile appearing on his face.

Jongin pulls a face. “Can’t promise anything.”

 

 

 

  
Sweat is causing the thin cotton of his shirt to practically melt into his skin, and all Jongin wants to do right now is duck into the shower for a cold one. But instead, he’s stuck with the trainees, teaching them how to defend themselves should they ever end up in a situation without their weapons.

So he endures another two hours of training, and the poor training dummy he’s got in front of him is getting the life beat out of it. He takes a break from pummeling the dummy in favour of walking around and fixing the stances of several trainees. He wraps up the training session with a demonstration, enlisting the help of Taemin, a fellow Major who made the mistake of walking into the room. It doesn’t take long; Taemin’s on his back in less than a minute, wheezing like he’s just run a marathon.

Jongin dismisses the trainees with a wave of his hand, bending to haul Taemin back up to his feet.

“You’re horrible,” Taemin complains, rolling out his shoulder. Jongdae snorts his agreement.

Before Jongin can leave, however, a black-haired girl with fiery eyes stops him and asks to be taught a few more advanced moves – Jongin recognises her as one of the top trainees and assents. So he spends another 30 minutes with her, teaching her several tips he’s picked up over the years.

It’s past dinner time by the time he finally emerges from the shower, cold rivulets of water running down his back, his legs, before finally breaking onto the tile. His hair sticks to his neck, and Jongin makes a mental note to visit Baekhyun’s quarters for a haircut before they leave on their next mission.

He stops by the mess hall to pick up a sandwich before retreating back into his room and facing a mountain of paperwork. Sighing, Jongin drags a hand down his face and grabs the first document of the pile. It’s going to be a long night.

 

 

 

  
“Alright, your ranks and assigned teams will be posted up on the board by the end of the week,” Jongin announces, fingers absently plucking at the buttons of his uniform. “Anyone who wishes to undergo training for other weaponry and/or to be a sniper will have to speak to LTC Choi before then. Good job, everyone – you’ve done well. It’ll be different out there, where the threat is very much real, but remember your training and rely on your teamwork to make it back alive.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Dismissed,” Jongin says with a salute.

It’s the last day of training, which means that he and his squad will have to prepare for their upcoming mission above ground. The mission is long-term, and the goal is to annihilate the coven before having to return home. Jongin doesn’t expect it to be easy; he knows that every time he leaves, there’s a very high chance he won’t make it back alive. But it’s a risk he has to take – the fate of humanity rests on their shoulders, and although they’ve done well thus far, they’ve still got a long way to go.

“So who would you like on the team?” Jongdae asks, walking up to him with his clipboard in his hands. “I’ve shortlisted a few, if you don’t already have a couple of names in mind.”

“Nerine,” Jongin answers immediately. The black-haired girl shows exceptional potential. “And Shinya. The both of them have expressed interest in long-range weapons, and I think having that would be very helpful when dealing with a whole coven.”

“Yes, they have training with Minho tomorrow. I’ll let him know you’re interested in them, see if he can give us their grades sooner rather than later.”

“Sounds great,” Jongin says. “Thanks, man.”

They part ways in the hallway, with Jongdae heading off to find Minho and Jongin making his way to Baekhyun’s room.

“Hey,” Jongin says with a rap to Baekhyun’s door.

“Oh, if it isn’t my lovely Major,” Baekhyun trills, spinning around in his chair. “Here for your amazing haircut?”

“Something _normal_ , Baek. Please.” He still vividly remembers that one time Baekhyun shaved wild shapes into the sides of his head.

Baekhyun simply grins at him and tells him to sit down.

 

 

 

  
“Gear up,” Jongin orders, grabbing a few daggers from the shelf and slotting them into the harness strapped around his thigh. He checks his sword for the third time in ten minutes — once, he’d gone on a mission with his sword only halfway charged with UV light, and the fear he’d experienced when it finally died on him during a fight is something he doesn’t want to go through ever again.

The soft leather of his field jacket presses cool to the skin as he slings a rifle across his chest. The muzzle points skyward, and Jongin hopes that whatever god is out there will watch over them. He stuffs as much ammo as he can into Shinya’s bag along with the food rations — the teen had scored a perfect score on the sniper test, and Junmyeon had been pretty adamant that he get the best sniper rifle they had. Shinya took his new responsibilities in stride, and Jongin hopes the boy will live to see the changes he’ll bring to the world.

Nerine has chosen a crossbow, a weapon that Jongin’s never too sure about. Sure, there’s the long-distance aspect that’s definitely going to be helpful, but there’s the added stress of making sure you’ll always have enough arrows. Because of that, he’d instructed her to bring along a sword just in case.

The rest of the team — Jongdae, Minseok, Baekhyun, and Yixing — all wield swords. To be specific, Minseok uses two broadswords, and Jongdae favours a collection of shortswords, but a sword is a sword all the same.

“We’re heading out in five,” Jongin says, turning to look at his squad. “Stay alert, and don’t break formation. Feel free to use the phone to call whoever you want to.”

Shinya pauses, clearly waging an internal war with himself, if the furrow of his pale brows is anything to go by. Then he moves, picking up the phone and keying in a room number.

“Guren?”

Jongin turns around and tries to give the teen some privacy.

“You guys need to call anyone?”

“Nah,” Minseok says. “Everyone we’re close to already know what’s in store for us.”

They had all trained together, Jongin rising through the ranks a little quicker than the others thanks to his abilities. When Junmyeon offered him his own squad, it didn’t take a lot of time for Jongin to figure out who he wanted with him.

“I’ll be okay,” he hears Shinya say. “Yeah. Me too. You look after yourself, okay? Don’t make me worry more than I already do.” He laughs softly. “Okay. I will. Hm?”

Jongin glances at him just in time to see a flush of colour rise in his cheeks.

“Don’t say that now,” Shinya mumbles. “Tell me in person, when I’m back.”

Ah, young love. It’s cute, Jongin thinks, smiling to himself. It’s good to have something or someone to live for.

Nerine sits quietly, leaning against the wall as she plays with an arrow.

“No one to call?” Jongin asks. She looks up at him, surprised.

“Oh. No, sir. I’ve no family left.”

“Friends, then?”

She shrugs. “It’s easier to go out there and fight if you know there’s no one back home worried for you.”

Jongin purses his lips. “You should form some relationships,” he says. “It’s part of what keeps us human.”

She opens her mouth to say something, but Minseok calls for him.

“It’s time,” he says. “Let’s go kill some suckers.”

So he leaves Nerine with a gentle squeeze to her shoulder and takes his place at the head of the squad.

 

 

 

  
“The coven is approximately ten clicks northeast,” Jongin says, “but we should start expecting vampire activity when we get within a three click radius. They tend not to fan out too much unless there’s a large group of humans nearby they want to farm. If we pass any human camps, we’ll evacuate them before moving on.”

It’s mostly a quiet trek, but everyone keeps their eyes peeled for any signs of movement. After an hour or so, they come across the first human camp. A little girl barely the age of five gazes across the quad at them.

“Let’s split up into two groups; Shinya and Baekhyun, you’re with me. Get them grouped up, send the willing ones back to base and the others away from the hot zone. It doesn’t seem like a big group, so we’ll reconvene in fifteen minutes. Set your watches.”

They get the job done in less than ten minutes. Most of the camp are sent back to the base, and those who chose to live above ground thank the squad for their help before packing up and walking away.

“We're within the radius,” Jongin says after another twenty minutes of walking. “Activate your comms and keep your eyes peeled. In about ten minutes or so, we’ll start getting into formation. Shinya and Nerine, you guys will be up on high ground. Jongdae and Baekhyun, back line. Minseok and Yixing, with me up at the front.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

 

 

 

The sun’s just beginning to set when Jongin slaughters his first vampire of the day. The edge of his katana slices perfectly across the vampire’s chest, UV serum seeping out of the blade’s groove and into her bloodstream. She disintegrates in a matter of seconds. Shinya takes down the second one, sending a bullet shattering through the vampire’s skull before he can even think about drawing his own weapon. It doesn’t take too long after that for a full-fledged battle to commence. The news of the arrival of Jongin’s squad spreads throughout the coven like wildfire, and vampires start swarming out like bats – no pun intended – to defend their home.

Jongin likes to fight with minimal flashiness. He doesn’t like unnecessary movement; spins, jumps, and flips simply expend more energy, and energy is something extremely valuable when you’re out fighting a battle of life and death. Instead, he spends most of his time on the battlefield calculating what the next move of his enemy will be, and he’ll work around that in order to land a blow or to dodge one.

Vampires have supernatural strength and regenerative abilities, but overexposure to UV light caused by a UV tipped arrow or the edge of a UV charged blade will kill the common vampires within seconds. The problem lies with the higher-ranking vampires. Heads of covens are notoriously hard to kill, and the squads that have succeeded in doing so always end up losing a few of their own. Squads that have failed tend to be completely annihilated.

“Major,” Shinya’s voice comes through loud and clear through their comms. “I think I spot a noble not too far away from you. But, uh…”

“What is it?” Jongin prompts, sinking his katana through the heavy frame of a vampire. He ignores the blood that splatters onto his arm.

“He doesn’t seem like he cares,” Shinya finishes. He sounds like he’s in disbelief. “He’s just leaning against a wall, watching everything.”

“Keep an eye on him,” Jongin instructs. “We’ll move in when we breach the coven.”

“Understood.”

 

 

 

  
By the time they get to the doors of the vampires’ den, Minseok’s got a nasty gash running down the side of his leg, and Baekhyun’s ribs are spectacularly bruised.

“I want an ice bath,” Baekhyun mutters, wincing as Jongdae wraps an ice pack around his torso.

“I’ll get you one when we finish this mission,” Jongin says, knocking down the door and stepping in. One second, he’s looking around for impending threats; the next second, he’s got a boot to the chest.

Jongin flies into the nearest wall, sharp pain radiating throughout his body when he collides with the solid surface. Groaning, he picks himself up just in time to see a flurry of bullets pierce the vampire – one lands right between his eyes. Yixing, already engaged in a battle of his own, yells over to him. “You okay?”

“Peachy,” Jongin grunts, wincing at the throb in his lower back. He’s gonna need an ice bath too.

He’s about to join the fray when he spots a tall, lean figure shrouded in the shadows. Jongin sends a dagger flying through the air, and he’s not surprised when it stops short of sinking into flesh. The figure simply waves the dagger and lets it drop from between his fingers. It clatters to the ground by his feet.

“Hmm.”

Curious, Jongin makes his way over, nearly beheading one vampire along the way and eviscerating another. The spilt organs dissolve into flakes of ash before gradually vanishing.

He draws his sword as he runs, and the blade cuts through the air with a single arc of his arm. The end hovers a mere inch away from a pale jaw. Jongin lets his gaze rake over the man. Long, powerful legs clad in black, a broad chest also clad in black, and locks of ashen hair brushing against the strong set of shoulders. Deep, violet eyes look back at him with clear amusement.

“Are you the leader of this coven?”

Reddened lips quirk. “Technically, I am not.”

“But you are a noble, are you not?”

“Yes, I am.”

“You’re the only noble I’ve seen. If you’re not the head of this coven, who is?”

“My lovely sister is away at a family meeting,” comes the silky reply. “I’m simply here as a placeholder.”

“Jongin!” Jongdae’s yelling at him from across the hall. Above his head, an ornate chandelier swings dangerously. “What are you doing?! Kill him!”

He should, Jongin knows, because killing the head of a coven guarantees the eventual death of every vampire belonging to that coven. But something in his gut is telling him that plunging his blade into this noble’s heart would be a silly thing to do.

“Feel free,” the noble says, his voice instantly taking on a serious note. “To do what your subordinate is telling you to do.”

Jongin blinks. “What?”

“Kill me. Free me from this blasted life. It’s been five centuries, and I’m sick and tired of living like this.”

“What?” He repeats.

“I do not want to live as a vampire,” the noble says, each word ringing clearly in the space between them. “I would greatly appreciate it if you would –”

“How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

The noble pauses to frown in thought. “Hm, I guess you don’t,” he agrees. “Hold on.”

Jongin watches in astonishment as a gloved hand reaches up to gently push the blade of his katana away. He makes to follow the noble, but he’s stopped in this tracks when Sehun levels him with an even look.

It takes the noble barely twenty seconds to eliminate every single vampire left standing. Baekhyun stares, mouth wide open, at the space in front of him where a vampire was standing just moments ago. An arrow whizzes through the air and lodges itself in a wall. Jongin’s left breathless – he’s never seen that much power before.

“The fuck?” Nerine utters, the exclamation crackling in their ears. “What the hell just happened? There was a vampire right there when I shot. Where the hell –”

“By doing that,” the noble says, suddenly reappearing in front of Jongin. “I have pretty much signed my own death warrant. But I wouldn’t actually be killed, you see, because, well, the Queen favours me for some reason, and they’re scared of me.”

Jongin’s never been so dumbfounded in his life.

“... Who _are_ you?”

“The name’s Oh Sehun. And you?”

Jongin feels the rest of his team fall into position behind him. All of them have their weapons drawn on the noble. Jongin stays silent, and the noble huffs.

“Look, you’re obviously part of the vampire extermination branch of the human army – I’m sure you already know this, but the fastest way to go about doing that is by taking out the Queen.”

“Hey, genius,” Minseok cuts in, “don’t you think we would’ve done that already if we could? Intel regarding the Queen’s location changes so often that it’s impossible to track her down. We don’t even know the extent of her powers, so even if we _did_ manage to find her, how the hell are we supposed to kill her?”

“I can,” Sehun shrugs, plucking at his glove. “I’m likely the only person around that can hold their own against her.”

Footsteps sound, and Jongin glances over at the door to see Shinya and Nerine walk in. The archer strides over to the wall and yanks the arrow out. Recognition dawns on Shinya’s face when he lays eyes on Sehun.

“Explain,” he says, turning back to the noble. Sehun drags a hand through his hair and flops down onto a tattered armchair.

“I was born a human,” he says, leaning back against the slashed upholstery and intertwining his fingers. “When I was twenty-two, a disease swept through my village and killed everyone I cared about. Desperate, I made a deal with a demon. Save my village, and in return, I would give up my soul. By doing so, I would become one too.”

Baekhyun snorts. Sehun’s eyes glint.

“Of course, I couldn’t be around my family as a demon, so I left. Stuck to hiding in the shadows and watched over them, made sure they grew up fine. Inevitably, they died, and I continued to live on. Demons and vampires are alike in many ways, and as life became drearier and drearier, I sought them out. There aren’t many demons around, you know, and I wanted to know what it would be like to be in a family – well, something like one, anyway.”

The tip of a pink tongue runs along the pointed tips of fangs.

“So I fought vampires until I drew the attention of the Queen. I told her what I wanted, and she was willing to make me one of them if I swore eternal allegiance to her. Be her lap dog, essentially. Serve her, protect her, die for her if need be. At that time, that sounded okay. I agreed, and she changed me.”

Sehun’s violet gaze drags up from where they were fixated on the ground.

“I don’t know if you know, but vampire hybrids are infinitely more powerful than pure vampires, everything held equal. The process is hellish – your cells explode and the composition of your blood changes. Vampire venom has to be able to bind to the cells before they self-destruct in order to trigger the healing mechanism. There have only been two other humans in the history of vampirism that successfully survived a change. They have since died.”

Realization dawns on Jongin.

“You’re a hybrid.”

“I’m a human, demon, _and_ vampire hybrid – the only one in existence.” Sehun does a little bow. 

“If you’re so powerful,” Yixing says, sounding extremely sceptical. “Why haven’t we heard of you?”

“The Queen doesn’t want my identity to be known.” Sehun answers. “Many of the vampires I interact with don’t even know my full background. She fears many things – my participation in a coup, my death at the hands of an enemy… anything that will threaten her safety.”

“Are you offering to help us eliminate her?”

Shrugging, Sehun leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “That’s the only way you’ll be able to do it. Her guards alone are quite formidable. A squad of… seven will most likely be insufficient.”

“But _you_ came to _her_.”

“I did,” he says. “I was selfish back then, wanting to have a family again; and I’m selfish now, wanting to be free of eternal life. If there’s one similarity between humans, demons, and vampires, it would be the selfish, self-serving nature of each race.”

The room is silent for a long moment, as the soldiers size up the noble who’s patiently waiting for a response.

“You will stay in a room lined with UV,” Jongin finally says. Jongdae whips around to stare at him, astonished.

“Wait, we’re actually going to work with him?”

“We’ve been fighting this war for far too long,” Jongin says. “Our parents fought before us, their parents before them. I don’t want our children to have to go through this as well. If working with him will help humanity take back what is ours, then we should do so.”

He pauses. “How often do you need to feed?”

“Once a week,” Sehun replies. “I can go for longer if necessary.”

“Don’t vampires have to feed daily?” Shinya asks, curious.

“Yes, but you forget that I’m not a pure vampire,” Sehun reminds him. Shinya’s pale cheeks flood with colour.

“I will be your food source,” Jongin says. “No one else.”

“Of course,” Sehun says, head tipping in submission.

Jongin sheaths his katana. “Let’s go.”

 

 

 

  
Junmyeon, understandably, has a bit of a freak-out when Jongin introduces Sehun to him. He raises his sword instinctively, and Jongin has to physically step in front of the noble in order to stop Junmyeon from hacking away at him.

“How can you possibly know he’s trustworthy?” Junmyeon demands, sword unerringly stable as it points at Jongin’s chest. Minho stands off to the side, brows furrowed and arms crossed.

“My gut,” Jongin answers evenly. “You’ve trusted me for so long, Junmyeon. You know I’m good at what I do. Trust me on this one. We will benefit from his help, and he benefits from ours.”

The Colonel studies the both of them before heaving a sigh. “Alright. He will have to be contained. I want eyes on him around the clock, and he will not be allowed out into common areas. No one here is to tell anyone else about his presence.”

“I have it covered,” Jongin says. Turning around, he gestures to the rest of his team with a tilt of his chin. “Set up the room ASAP. Have it as close to mine as possible. I’ll take first watch – Baekhyun, you’ll be next. Rotate every two hours.”

“Yes, sir,” his squad shouts, and the six of them salute their superiors before marching off.

Sehun watches the proceedings with clear interest.

“Your soldiers are very loyal,” he quips. “A stark contrast to the vampires I’ve been living with. They, on the other hand, only listen to their superiors when they have something to gain.”

“Is that not what you’re doing right now?” Jongin asks, head tilting to the side.

Sehun laughs, and Jongin finds the sound oddly melodic.

“Touché,” he says, smiling. Jongin, feeling his throat suddenly dry up, swallows and turns away.

 

 

 

  
“Watch him for a moment,” he instructs Minseok. “Gonna go get some food and I’ll be right back.”

He jogs to the mess hall, grimacing at the noise that seems to constantly emanate from the place. Honestly, he could come at ass o’clock in the morning, and there would still be a ruckus.

Out of habit, Jongin looks around the room as he makes his way over to the line. His gaze lands on a head of platinum blond hair – Shinya’s seated at a packed table, pressed close to a raven-haired boy. He’s laughing at something another soldier is saying, too distracted to notice the soft, tender gaze trained on his face.

He catches the other boy’s gaze, and recognition flickers in violet (similar, yet startlingly different to Sehun’s) eyes. Jongin gives the boy a subtle quirk of his lips, and he suppresses a laugh at the blush he receives in return. The blush deepens when Shinya turns to look him curiously, and Jongin watches just long enough to see the raven-haired boy mumble something under his breath, Shinya leaning in a little closer than necessary.

Someone sidles up to him in line, and he turns around to see Kyungsoo, the army’s best medic, looking at him like he’s trying to spot injuries through his uniform.

“Heard you guys got back not too long ago,” he says. “Anyone in dire need of my assistance?”

“A couple of the guys have some cuts that will need disinfecting and perhaps a few stitches. I’m fine though, just bruised to hell and back.”

“Okay,” Kyungsoo says. “I’ll go check on them now. Let me know if you need more salve for your bruises.”

“Thanks,” Jongin says. Kyungsoo lifts his fingers casually in acknowledgement.

He’s back to relieve Minseok of guard duty ten minutes later, a large cup of black coffee in one hand and a plate of food in the other.

“Have a shower, get some food, take a nap. Be ready when someone comes to wake you.”

“Got it,” Minseok says, exiting the room. He stops to look back. “Be careful with him.”

He shuts the door behind him.

Jongin sets his food down and settles into a chair by the wall. The weight of his katana rests familiarly against his hip. “Do you need to feed?”

Sehun, stretched out on the single bed with his hands behind his head, turns to look at Jongin. “Nope, I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”

Jongin shrugs and digs into his own food.

“You know, you haven’t actually told me your name.”

The taste of coffee is bitter on his tongue when Jongin glances up.

“Kim Jongin,” he replies. Sehun hums, turning back to face the ceiling.

Neither of them speaks for the remainder of the two hours.

 

 

 

  
Jongin and his squad take the better part of a week to prepare for the mission. Jongin himself spends a good few days discussing plans with Junmyeon and Sehun, the three of them holed up in Sehun’s makeshift UV prison. The hybrid doesn’t seem to care too much, never once complaining about his lack of freedom or the ill-fitting clothes that they’d found for him to wear.

In fact, interacting with him has been so… easy, to the point that Jongin almost forgot about the man’s true nature. It took hunger on Sehun’s part to remind him.

“Sorry to be direct,” Sehun says one day. They’d just finished another meeting, and Jongin is just about to leave for training. “But I’ll need to feed soon.”

“Oh,” Jongin says, a little unsure of how to proceed. “Right. Uh, would you be able to wait a couple of hours? I have training, and I probably can’t do that if I’m lacking some blood.”

“Of course,” comes the pleasant reply. “That’s fine.”

The hours seem to pass by too quickly, and it isn't long before Jongin finds himself standing in front of Sehun’s door, droplets of water running off the tips of his hair and down the nape of his neck from his quick shower.

“You can come in, you know?” Sehun’s voice says. Ah, Jongin had forgotten about a vampire’s heightened senses.

He opens the door and strides in.

“Alright. How are we going to do this?”

“You should get some fruits,” Sehun suggests. “Oranges or bananas, for example. To replenish your blood sugar.”

Jongin holds up a small bag. “Yep.”

“Well then. Have a seat.” Sehun gestures to the bed. “Just in case you need to lie down.”

Settling on the edge of the bed, Jongin tries not to let his nerves show through.

“Try not to be too scared,” Sehun says, stepping closer. “It’s harder for me to pierce through skin and muscle if you’re tense. And don’t worry, I have excellent control – I’ll only drink what I need.”

“Sounds great,” Jongin comments dryly.

Sehun chuckles, the sound low and warm, and reaches out to pull the neck of Jongin’s shirt down.

“Breathe,” he says, leaning in. He keeps his hands to himself, and there are a good few inches of space between their bodies. Warm breath ghosts along the curve of Jongin’s neck. The Major shivers. “Might sting a little, so sorry for that in advance.”

Jongin takes a deep breath, and the moment he releases it, Sehun sinks his fangs into his shoulder. The pain is sharp but brief. Somehow, he’s able to feel the two points where Sehun’s fangs meet his flesh, and the deep burn gradually gives way to a soothing coolness that spreads down his back and arm.

He keeps his eyes fixed on the clock. Sehun stops drinking after a few minutes. Jongin feels the fangs slide smoothly out of his flesh, and the sensation sends a quiver down his spine. A hitched breath slips out when Sehun drags his tongue over the puncture wounds.

“Why did you –”

“Helps heal the wound,” Sehun explains. Jongin sees a drop of blood on the swell of his lip. It’s gone when Sehun’s tongue darts out to lick it clean. “Thank you. I feel much better now.”

“Yeah,” Jongin says, fighting the urge to run into the bathroom and look at his shoulder. “No problem.”

Sehun reaches into the bag and pulls out a banana. “Here. Eat it.”

“I feel fine.”

“You say that until you stand.”

“Point taken.”

 

 

 

  
“Alright, take as many supplies as you can. There’s a safe point on the way, but it will take us approximately three to four days to get there. Shinya, make sure you have enough ammo; Nerine, arrows. The rest of you, make sure you have a first aid kit in your pack, and enough provisions to last us a minimum of three days. We’re leaving in fifteen – feel free to say goodbyes to loved ones, take a speedy shower…”

Jongin waves them off and turns back to prepping his own gear. He’s just about to slot all his daggers into their respective slots when he looks over at Sehun. The noble’s decked out in his own clothes again, the black turtleneck snug around his neck and the gloves covering slender fingers.

“Do you, uh, need anything?”

Sehun blinks, as if he’s surprised that Jongin’s addressing him.

“Me? Oh no, I’m good, thanks.”

“You’ll be fine without anything..? I mean, I’ve seen you kill vampires with your bare hands, but you’ve said yourself that the Queen is a much more formidable foe.”

“Yes, my bare hands wouldn’t be enough against her. But I have my own weapon,” Sehun says. He stands, extends a hand, and Jongin watches in astonishment as a scythe materializes out of thin air. It’s huge, the weapon almost as tall as Sehun himself. The ornate blade glimmers faintly in the light, and the stem seems to made out of black marble.

Sehun grins at Jongin’s face. The scythe vanishes from view, and Sehun sits back down, hands pillowed in his lap.

“Wow.”

“One of the very few perks that come with being me,” Sehun says cheerfully.

 

 

 

  
Shinya’s eyes are a little bloodshot when he returns to the squad, but everyone respectfully chooses to ignore it. Jongin gives him a pat on the shoulder when he walks by, and Shinya gives him a small, but genuine, smile.

“We’re gonna come back alive,” Jongin says, voice stern. “And victorious.”

“Yes sir,” Minseok says, grinning.

Everyone salutes him, and Jongin returns it.

Junmyeon shakes their hands, and the Colonel walks them up above ground.

They walk until headquarters is no longer in view, and Jongin turns to look at Sehun.

“Alright. Where to?”

 

 

 

  
There’s a large part of Jongin that’s extremely grateful for the fact that this mission fell during the months of autumn. Imagining embarking on this trek during the middle of the summer is almost enough to bring a grimace to his face.

They keep pace with each other, stopping when one needs a bathroom break or to take a breather. Sehun stays up in front, Jongin by his side, and Minseok brings up the rear.

“So why do you kill vampires?”

The question is unexpected, but Jongin takes it in stride.

“I joined the army after my parents died,” Jongin says. “I was twelve, and vampires invaded our city. Junmyeon found me and took my sister and I in. At first, I wasn’t willing to fight. I didn’t want to spill blood, didn’t want to be like the vampires. But my sister wanted to, and I would wait for her return whenever she left for a mission. One day, she never came home.”

He hears a sharp intake of breath behind him, and Jongin assumes it came from Nerine. The older members of his squad have heard this story before, so they stay silent, letting their leader’s voice fill the space around them.

“I guess I wanted revenge. For her, for my parents, for many of my friends who never made it back home. Begged Junmyeon for personal lessons. Trained with over five different weapons. Went from being the newbie of a squad to the leader of this one in the span of three years. I had a one-track mind, back then. All I wanted to do was kill as many vampires as possible, just because of the hurt they’d brought to my family. It took me a while to finally realise that doing so really doesn’t ease the void in my heart. So I decided that I’d fight for the future generations, so that they would never have to fear living in a world that is rightfully theirs.”

“Honourable,” Sehun commends, seemingly unbothered by the wind and how it sends strands of hair fluttering into his eyes.

“What about you?” Jongin asks. Sehun looks at him, confused. “Why do you kill humans?”

Sehun barks out a laugh. “I don’t. I’ve never laid a hand on a human in my life. I try to distance myself from the… activities that my kind partake in. After all, I was once one of you.”

“Don’t you need human blood to survive..?” Yixing ventures.

“Yes. Each coven has a store of human blood – I take only what I need, and almost never from the source. There are, of course, extenuating circumstances.” He glances at Jongin as he says this. “But apart from that, I keep away from humans. Unfortunately, other vampires don’t quite agree with my actions. They don’t really like me.” He chuckles.

“What do vampires do with humans?”

Jongin turns around, sees the uneasiness in Shinya’s eyes, and exhales. “I don’t think you want to know the answer to that question.”

To his credit, Sehun simply gives Shinya a sad smile and says nothing.

 

 

 

  
The first rest stop is more than a little dusty from lack of use, but everything is fully functional. There are several bunk beds, a small (but comprehensive) stock of weapons and food, and a working shower.

“We’re spending one night here. Rest up,” Jongin says, shutting the heavy, UV lined door behind them and dropping his pack. His shoulders are stiff, the muscles groaning with exhaustion, and he hopes that there will be enough warm water for a decent shower after everyone else has taken one.

Nerine makes a mad dash for the bathroom as soon as she’s able to.

“Let’s clean up a little,” Yixing suggests, looking around. “I don’t particularly want to sleep in a nest of dust bunnies.”

“You should stay seated,” Jongin suggests, placing a hand on Sehun’s shoulder when the latter makes to get up. “A lot of things here are lined with UV – you might accidentally touch something.”

He doesn’t give Sehun the chance to argue before stepping away to help the rest of his team with cleaning.

 

 

 

  
Jongdae’s snores fill the whole (admittedly, quite small) house, but Jongin pays it no mind as he fiddles with the transmitter in front of him. It’s old, and he hasn’t used this particular model in a while. But Junmyeon will have a fit if he doesn’t receive a report on their whereabouts soon, so Jongin keeps poking at it in hopes that it’ll start up.

“What’s that tattoo on your shoulder?” Sehun asks quietly, legs stretched out in front of him as he leans against the desk that Jongin’s seated in front of.

Jongin peers down at his own bare shoulder. “It’s a lotus,” he says. “My sister’s favourite flower.”

“You love her a lot,” Sehun observes.

Jongin raises a brow. “She’s family. Of course I do.”

“I had a brother,” Sehun says, head resting against the wood. “As far as I can remember, he really liked to indulge me. Played with me whenever I wanted, gave me his food… I can no longer remember what he looked like. But I can still remember his voice.”

The machine beeps, and Jongin taps out a quick message to Junmyeon.

“Where do you think one goes after death?” Sehun asks, eyes fixed on the line of damp clothes hanging to dry by the door.

Jongin slumps a little lower in his chair. “I don’t know.”

“I hope we go nowhere,” Sehun says. “I’ve had enough of existing for more than a few lifetimes.”

 

 

 

  
It’s weird, Jongin has to admit, how easygoing Sehun is. Encounters with demons are extremely rare, and Jongin himself doesn’t know anyone who’s met one. But he’s quite sure that demons aren’t supposed to be _friendly_. Now, vampires are a species he has plenty of experience in. Yet, throughout his years of serving in the army, he’s never met a single one that told jokes. Sehun likes to joke and smile – _a lot_.

They’ve been on the move for three weeks now, and the squad’s gotten much more comfortable around Sehun. It definitely helps that he’d saved Baekhyun from getting speared by a vampire’s nails during a battle against a rogue group. Sehun's regularly bombarded with questions regarding vampires and demons, but he takes them all in stride.

Nerine, in particular, has been quite infatuated with him. Jongin has overheard her talking to Shinya about Sehun’s _physical attractiveness_ on multiple occasions, and the boy tends to agree with her every word. Heck, even Minseok, the hardest nut to crack out of all of them, has taken a liking to the hybrid.

Jongin easily admits that Sehun’s easy to get along with, and he grudgingly admits that Sehun’s nice to look at, too.

“Sir,” Nerine says one day, tapping him on the arm as he rises to his feet. “If you, uh, need me to, I can give him my blood. So that you don’t have to, you know, keep losing it.” She winces as soon as the words leave her mouth.

Baekhyun snorts, Shinya blushes on behalf of his friend, and Sehun smiles in amusement.

“That’s… quite alright,” Jongin says, unsure of how to proceed. “Thank you for the offer?”

She nods stiffly and returns to her spot by the campfire.

“That’s awfully nice of her to offer,” Sehun says, turning around to walk deeper into the forest. Jongin follows.

“She has a crush on you,” Jongin says helpfully. He keeps his voice low enough so that Nerine doesn’t hear him.

“Yes,” Sehun nods. “It’s quite obvious.”

They walk until the rest of the squad is no longer visible – Jongin doesn’t want them to witness Sehun feeding. It would probably tarnish their image of him, since he acts like a regular person most of the time.

Leaning against a tree, Jongin pulls the collar of his shirt down and tilts his head to the side wordlessly. They’ve done this a few times now, and while he’s getting used to the idea of voluntarily providing a vampire with his blood, Jongin still can’t quite get used to the feeling of the actual feeding process. Sehun leans in, covering part of Jongin’s vision with his hair, and latches his mouth onto the exposed skin.

Jongin nearly jumps when a gloved hand comes up to cradle his head. Sehun’s never done that before, always keeping some space between them. The coolness starts spreading throughout his veins, and Jongin fights back the sigh he’s come to expect whenever Sehun feeds on him.

Like always, Sehun gives the wound a lick before pulling away. His fingers slip out of Jongin’s hair – neither one comments on it.

“Why does it feel… cool?” Jongin asks, accepting the energy bar that Sehun tosses at him.

“Ah, so you’ve noticed,” Sehun says, licking his lips absently. “Well, there is venom in vampire fangs. There are two types. One is meant to kill, whereas one is meant to… impair.”

“Impair?”

Sehun hums, as if unsure of what words to use. “It’s used to make the person more submissive. More open to the idea of giving up their blood, so to speak. It’s much harder to feed when the body is tense, as you already know. So releasing that venom just makes it easier for one to feed. I don’t exactly want to kill you, so I chose to release the other type instead.”

“Why does that matter? Can’t you just kill and then feed off the body right after?”

“Death changes the flavour of blood,” Sehun says. “Also, humans are… more useful when they’re alive. So vampires rarely bite to kill – I’ve only seen that done when a vampire is exceptionally angry, or when all their limbs have been severed.”

“Blood has different flavours?”

“Oh yes,” Sehun says, shaking a fallen leaf out of his hair. “The worst I’ve tasted came from a middle-aged man, who was dead for a few minutes. Yours is quite exquisite, I must say.”

He walks back towards camp, leaving a flushed Jongin in his wake.

 

 

 

  
“There will be a higher concentration of covens in this region,” Sehun informs them. “More so to the west. Unfortunately, there is a reason for that. The Queen is currently located that way, and the increase in the number of covens is mainly for her protection. In a couple of days, we will have to start limiting our movements at night. It would also be smart to avoid any altercations, even if it’s just a lone vampire. The Queen is able to sense it whenever a vampire is killed, although that ability decreases the farther the death occurs from her. At this point, I would say that all the vampires we see from here on out can be sensed by her.”

Jongdae sighs. “We’d be lucky to finish this mission alive, huh?”

“We have a plan,” Sehun says, glancing over at Jongin. The Major lifts a shoulder. “If everything goes well, you should all be able to return home.”

“Can she sense you?” Shinya asks.

“Only if I let her,” Sehun grins. “Perks of being a mix of atrocities.”

“This is going to be the last safe house we encounter before we face her,” Jongin says, pressing the pad his thumb onto the fingerprint scanner. The door hisses open. “Try to get some decent rest.”

The squad files in. Jongin takes another glance outside at the dusky sky before shutting the door.

 

 

 

  
Jongin taps Yixing on the shoulder.

“Head to bed,” he whispers. “I got this.”

Yixing stands, salutes, and walks away with a yawn. The door to the bedroom shuts behind him.

Sehun watches Jongin as he settles into a chair. “You don’t sleep much,” he observes. Jongin shrugs and fishes out a sketchbook from his pack.

“Sleeping is a luxury I can’t really afford when I’m out on a mission. I sleep just enough to function.”

Smoothing out a few creases, Jongin opens the book to an empty page.

“You draw?”

“Somewhat,” Jongin replies. “Used to draw quite often; not so much nowadays.”

“What do you draw?”

“Anything, really. Scenery, portraits, random doodles that represent nothing.”

“Draw me,” Sehun says, inching a little closer. The light from the table lamp falls over the sharp planes of his face.

“...What?”

“Please?”

Jongin stares at Sehun, violet eyes darkened by the shadows.

“Okay,” he agrees eventually.

He presses the nib of his pencil to the paper and begins to sketch, glancing up ever so often to catch a detail or two.

The drawing doesn’t progress too far. He only manages to sketch out the main details of Sehun’s face before Jongin realises that Sehun’s got a very intense gaze levelled on him.

He opens his mouth, but Sehun beats him to it.

“Thank you,” he says, “for trusting me enough to let me help with this mission. It means a lot more to me than you probably realise.”

Jongin sets his pencil down. “Well, I can’t say I understand what it feels like to be immortal and long for death, but…you’re welcome.”

Sehun gives him an adorably crooked smile. “You’re also quite gorgeous, you know? Inside and out. And I’m not talking about the taste of your blood.”

“Smooth,” Jongin mutters, ignoring the burn in his cheeks. He scratches a few more unnecessary strokes on Sehun’s portrait.

Before he knows it, Sehun’s leaning over him, the hybrid’s tall frame swallowing him up whole. Fear spikes in him – Sehun is, after all, one of the most powerful beings he’s ever come across –, but it dissipates as soon as a hooked finger nudges his chin upwards. Sehun’s eyes, now illuminated by the light, seem to glow from within. It takes Jongin’s breath away and holds it captive.

“I haven’t done this for a long time,” Sehun mumbles, quiet enough so that Jongin has to strain to hear him. “So I apologise if it’s not up to par.”

Then lips are on his, and Jongin is momentarily distracted by the fact that Sehun’s lips are uncharacteristically warm. It takes a nip to his bottom lip for him to have the sense to return the kiss. His sketchbook slips off his lap and onto the floor, and the pencil rolls away into the night.

His heart is lodged in his throat, thudding mercilessly against his windpipe, but Jongin ignores all of that in favour of kissing back harder. Pushing up, he nudges the chair aside with a foot and steers Sehun up against the desk, hands gripping the jut of slim hips.

“Should’ve figured out that you like being in control.” Sehun’s laugh puffs against Jongin’s lips.

“You should’ve,” Jongin agrees, pressing a palm against the equally warm skin of Sehun’s bare chest. “God, why are you so warm?”

“Not human, remember?”

“Hm. Do you still feel things like we do?”

“Luckily,” Sehun breathes, head falling back to let Jongin nip up the side of his neck. As an afterthought, Jongin bites down on the spot where Sehun likes to feed from. A surprised moan tumbles out of his mouth.

“Sensitive?”

“Symbolic,” Sehun says. Jongin snorts.

“How far do you want this to go?” Jongin asks, keeping his voice low. From the bedroom, Jongdae continues snoring.

“As far as you want it to go,” Sehun replies. He tightens his grip on the edge of the table when Jongin slips a leg between his. The wood splinters beneath his fingers.

“Nerine won’t be too happy with me if she finds out,” Jongin mumbles, ducking his head to mouth at a nipple.

“Don’t let her find out.”

“Don’t leave any bruises on me,” Jongin instructs, deftly unbuttoning Sehun’s pants. He shoves a hand down the front and palms Sehun – his erection is filling out nicely, and Sehun encourages the touch with a roll of his hips.

“I’ll try – I _am_ quite strong after all.”

Jongin rolls his eyes and bites him on the shoulder again, deep enough to leave a temporary mark but not deep enough to draw blood.

They move fast, for time is not on their side. Within minutes, Jongin has Sehun up on the desk, legs spread wide and cock straining against his stomach.

“I don’t have –”

“Don’t need it,” Sehun pants. “Not human, remember?”

Jongin steps closer and nudges the head of his cock against the blushing hole.

“Sure?”

“Yeah.”

Sehun’s fucking tight, and Jongin lets out a moan that may or may not have been a little too loud. He thanks whatever gods that are out there for the fact that the table is bolted to the ground, because he’s pretty sure that the pace he’s setting will send constant thuds resonating throughout the house.

He holds onto the backs of Sehun’s knees, pushing them up against his chest as he fucks into him, nice and deep. Sehun keeps a hand pressed against the wall above his head for leverage, and the other cupped over his mouth in an attempt to catch the noises tumbling out – it works, for the most part. He only slips up when Jongin lets go of one of his legs in favour of wrapping fingers around his cock.

It doesn’t take long for either one of them to reach completion. Sehun comes with a stuttered groan onto his stomach, and Jongin has enough sense to pull out and release into a wad of tissues.

“For some reason,” Jongin pants, hunched over Sehun’s heaving chest. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to come.”

Sehun laughs – he laughs a lot, Jongin notices – and nudges Jongin aside with a knee.

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I can’t exactly reproduce.”

Jongin hides his grin in Sehun’s hair.

 

 

 

  
They don't speak about the tryst, but as they continue on their journey, Sehun's taken to stealing kisses from Jongin. Jongin himself doesn't seem to mind too much; in fact, he quite enjoys it. It's much harder to do anything more without the modicum of privacy that a safe house provides, but they manage one night, when Jongin's on watch duty and the others are sound asleep in their sleeping bags. Jongin takes Sehun up against a large tree, mouths working languidly together as the skin of Sehun's back tears under the rough bark, only to heal within seconds.  
  
“This is nice,” Sehun mumbles, nipping at the column of Jongin's neck. Jongin shivers when Sehun's fangs drag along his exposed skin.“The sex. Vampires aren't very sexual, sadly.”  
  
“Glad you're enjoying it,” Jongin replies, biting on an earlobe. He feels the pressure from Sehun's fangs build. “You can bite me if you want.”  
  
Sehun does so without a second thought. He drinks just enough for the taste to flood his mouth, and he comes between their bodies with a moan muffled against Jongin's shoulder.

 

 

 

  
“Holy shit,” Nerine says slowly. “That’s…”

“Uh huh,” Shinya exhales.

Even the veterans are a little taken aback by how big the Royal Coven is.

“Okay,” Jongin says, clearing his throat. “Once we start moving, we will only have a couple of minutes to get inside. Tag the doors with UV along the way – that should hold the other covens back for a bit. Once we’re inside… well, let’s hope everything goes to plan.”

“Sir?” Shinya says, the hand around his rifle’s grip tightening visibly. “If I don’t make it home, could you pass a letter to Guren for me? It’s in my bedside drawer.”

“Nope. We’ll leave this alive and victorious, you hear me? You’ll see him again, so forget about that damn letter. Now get to high ground and find a vantage point. Both of you.”

Nerine grabs Shinya’s arm and tugs. “Come on. Let’s go. Gotta watch their backs.”

The rest of the squad watches them go.

“This battle is a lot to ask from them,” Yixing sighs.

“Yeah.” Jongin waits until the two have disappeared into the fringe of the forest before turning back towards the Royal Coven.

“I guess this is it,” Sehun quips, scythe materialising in his hand. “Hey, it’s been nice working with all of you.” He gives Jongin a cheeky grin.

With a roll of his eyes, Jongin shoves Sehun forward and turns on his comms. “Whatever. Nerine, Shinya. Are you in position?”

“Yes sir,” Nerine says. “We have eyes on the coven.”

“Let’s go.”

 

 

 

  
Everything is streaked with blood, and if vampires didn’t disintegrate upon death, there would be dozens, maybe even a couple hundreds, of still-warm corpses strewn across the ground. Jongin feels matted hair by his temple, and his fingertips come away stained with red. There’s a dull pain in his thigh, and he’s pretty sure that he’s got a bruised rib or two. His team doesn’t seem to be in much better condition.

He can’t imagine how horribly the battle would be going if they didn’t have Sehun with them.

The hybrid fights like a dream, scythe sweeping through the air, soft as a breeze, delivering swift death. Well aimed punches blow heads off, and Jongin witnesses limbs being pulled off their sockets before Sehun sinks venomous fangs into flesh.

“We should move,” Sehun says, suddenly appearing next to him. “I think your squad’s got this in control for now, but the longer we put off killing her, the sooner the other covens will break through the wards.”

“Okay,” Jongin says, grunting as he yanks his katana out of a body. He catches Minseok’s eye – the soldier nods in understanding and gestures for them to move.

“This way.” Sehun runs through hallways, low lights flickering over porcelain smooth skin. Jongin keeps pace, keeping an eye out for potential ambushes.

They head underground, and the air gets progressively colder the deeper they go. Jongin shivers, and he knows that it has nothing to do with the temperature.

“Remember,” Sehun says, stopping a few feet away from a blood-red door. Everything around them is jet black, save for the flickering torches that serve as a light source. “I’ll handle her. You deal with her guards. Don’t even go near her. She’s nothing like you’ve ever seen.”

“Yeah,” Jongin says, mouth dry. “Got it.’

Sehun gives him a soft grin, then leans in to press their lips together. “Hey, thanks for everything, you know? Maybe… maybe we’ll meet in our next lives.”

Jongin finds himself suppressing a smile of his own. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

 

 

  
His arms are burning with exertion, and Jongin prays that his katana has enough UV left to kill the remaining guard. He hasn’t had any chance to check Sehun’s progress, but he can hear the constant clashing of his scythe against the Queen’s own. That’s good – if he’s fighting, he’s alive. In his left ear, he hears the voices of his team members. Yixing had to extract Jongdae to a safe spot after the latter suffered one too many injuries, but apart from that, they seem to be hanging on. Nerine had joined the melee battle after running out of arrows, and Jongin hopes he’d trained her well enough to keep her alive.

His blade twangs against the vampire’s, and Jongin skids to the side instantly in order to avoid being stabbed in the stomach. Grabbing his last dagger, Jongin sends it flying straight at the guard’s face. It doesn’t cause any serious damage, but the distraction it provides gives Jongin a couple of seconds to charge.

The hilt of his blade is flush against the guard’s chest, and he doesn’t look up until the body turns into ashes. Whirling around, he spots Sehun and the Queen at the other end of the room, surrounded by tendrils of smoke. When he moves closer, he realises that the smoke is instead ash, kicked up around them by their movements.

Sehun may be more powerful, but Jongin is willing to bet that the Queen is far more experienced on the battlefield than he is. It’s telling in how she moves to attack, how she knows just when to block a blow, and how she chooses to back off to recalculate.

He hesitates, for a brief moment, because joining in to help Sehun may just cement his death.

But this is what he’s fighting for.

So he wipes blood away from his eye, picks up the daggers scattered on the ground, and sprints straight towards the pair.

 

 

 

  
Blood bubbles up in his mouth as the blunt edge of the Queen’s scythe rams into his gut. He’s suddenly weightless, flung into the air like a ragdoll, and his breath rushes out of his lungs when his back collides with a wall.

“Get out of here!” Sehun shouts, plunging clawed nails into the Queen’s abdomen. She shrieks, and more ash swirls around them.

“No,” Jongin says stubbornly, ignoring how his lungs seem to wheeze. “As long as I’m alive, I will fight.”

“Don’t be a fucking idiot,” Sehun snaps, blocking a barrage of blows with his forearms. Jongin balks – he’s never heard the man talk like that before.

“I don’t leave a team member behind,” Jongin snarls, picking up his katana. The sleeve of his uniform shirt is completely ripped off, and there are bloodstains adorning the tattoo on his shoulder.

“Regardless of the outcome, I will die. You do realise that, right? I’m not leaving this room alive.”

The conversation takes a lull, replaced by clashing blades and bodies smashing into surfaces. Sehun flings the Queen up into the ceiling and drives his scythe through her body – she screams, a flood of ash tumbling out of her mouth. Jongin throws a dagger up, the tip hurtling towards her heart.

It’s not enough to kill her, but it does damage. She manages to break free, but parts of her body are starting to flake away.

“She’s weakened,” Sehun says. Jongin finally takes a look at him. He’s begun to peel, too. Just small spots on his neck, but Jongin can see larger patches on his torso from where his shirt has been slashed to pieces. “I can handle her, Jongin. Leave.”

“Fuck off,” Jongin says irritably. “What kind of leader do you think I am?”

Sighing, Sehun spins his scythe in one hand and lifts it just in time to prevent Jongin’s legs from getting sliced off.

 

 

 

  
Jongin feels his heart stutter to stop when he sees Sehun slammed into the ground. The floor cracks around him and the Queen’s nails elongate into long, pointed tips.

“Sehun!” He yells. He tries to get up, but he has one of his own dagger lodged in his right leg, and he can’t put much weight on it. He’s getting a little faint, too. Perhaps he’s lost too much blood.

The Queen pulls her arm back, ready to attack, but Sehun manages to twist around and grab her wrist. They grapple as Jongin tries to get to his damn feet, and Sehun drives his hand into her chest at the same time she pierces his with her nails.

“Se –” Pain shoots up Jongin’s leg when he tries to rush over, and darkness swallows him whole.

 

 

 

“He’s alive, right? Tell me he’s alive.”

That voice is familiar, Jongin thinks groggily. That’s good.

“He’s alive, but barely. Weak pulse, shallow breathing. Get me a kit and a blood replenishing pill. I need to stop the bleeding from his leg. Don’t move him too much, I don’t know how much spinal and head damage he’s received.”

The jolt of pain he feels when the dagger is pulled out of his leg is what brings Jongin back to consciousness.

“Fuck,” he groans. He sucks in a lungful of air. Even doing that hurts. “What –”

“Holy shit,” Minseok mutters. Jongin cracks an eye open and sees Minseok’s bloodied face hovering over his. “We thought we were too late. How’s your head? Any pain that’s out of the ordinary?”

Glancing down, he sees Jongdae, all battered up himself, try his best to patch up his leg. Baekhyun’s next to him, gaze flickering between Jongin’s face and Jongdae’s hands. He’s pale, but in one piece.

“No, my head’s fine. How are –”

“We’re all alive. Yixing has a pretty bad concussion, so he’s resting outside. Nerine and Shinya are scouting the area for any potential stragglers, but it’s been a good twenty minutes, and they haven’t reported a single sighting. We won, man. We did it.”

“Give him some water,” Baekhyun urges, and Minseok rummages around in his pack for a moment before pressing the bottle to Jongin’s chapped lips. Jongin gulps it all down gratefully.

“What about Sehun,” he rasps, feeling a trickle of water run down the side of his face.

“As expected,” Minseok answers. “But also a little unexpected.”

“What?” He tries to get up, but Jongdae tuts and fixes him with a disapproving look.

“Patience,” he says, taking a bundle of bandages from Baekhyun and wrapping it around his thigh. Jongin waits until the bandage is secured before trying once again. This time, Minseok lets him up – well, the man pulls him up by the armpits, and Jongin slumps against him for support as he crosses the span of the wide room. The room itself is an absolute wreck. Every surface has been destroyed ten times over. But Jongin forgets all about that soon enough, once his gaze lands on a prone figure in the middle of all the rubble.

“Is that…”

No one answers, but they keep walking.

Jongin can’t believe his eyes. It’s Sehun in his pure human form, clad in the same clothes he wore during the battle.

The man’s got dark hair, a striking difference to the ashen locks he had in his immortal form. His skin’s still the same, smooth and pale, and Jongin notices that he doesn’t have a single wound on his body.

Reaching out with a shaky hand, he lifts an eyelid.

Those violet eyes are no more, replaced with a warm brown.

He doesn’t check for a pulse, but he cups a cheek and thumbs a few strands of hair away from still-pink lips.

“Guess he’s human after all,” Baekhyun murmurs.

“Take him outside with us,” Jongin says quietly. “I want to bury him,.”

“Yes, sir.”

 

 

 

  
It’s a long journey home, made longer by their injuries. But somehow, they find themselves enjoying it. All the covens they come across are empty, and the buildings are hollow shells that serve as grim reminders of what the human race had to go through. It also serves as a reminder of their victory, and even Nerine breaks out into an uncharacteristic smile when they pass the fifth empty coven on their way home.

They’re able to sleep without fear of an ambush, and for once in his lifetime, Jongin doesn’t care when they break formation. He even lets Nerine run into the forest to pick some flowers, and the rest of the team indulges her, proudly wearing the flower crowns she makes for them.

“Told you that we’d get out of this alive,” Jongin says to Shinya. The boy grins at him, all teeth, and the blue of his eyes seem to sparkle.

They come across a few human camps, and the joy the soldiers witness on their faces when they learn of the vampires' defeat is something the squad will remember for the rest of their lives.

One night, Jongin opens up his sketchbook and flips to Sehun’s portrait. He should really finish it soon.

 

 

 

  
“ _Shinya!_ ” A figure barrels out into the open, dark tresses fluttering in the wind as he runs straight at them.

“Guren,” Shinya breathes. He turns to Jongin, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. “Sir, can I –”

“Go ahead,” Jongin says, laughing when Shinya turns on his heels and sprints away.

They meet in the middle, and Shinya is all smiles and laughter when kisses are peppered all over his face.

“Gross,” Nerine calls after them, nose wrinkled in mock distaste.

“Now you have no excuse not to make friends,” Jongin tells her as they keep walking. She rolls her eyes.

“I guess,” she grumbles. “But aren't you guys enough?”

“That’s cute and all, but we’re old,” Minseok laughs. “You might want some friends your age.”

“...I _guess_ ,” she repeats with a sigh.

Junmyeon meets them at the gates with a grin. Jongin can almost see the weight lifted off his shoulders.

“Thank you,” Junmyeon says, grabbing Jongin’s hand.

“Couldn’t have done this without him,” Jongin says. Junmyeon nods soberly.

“He passed?”

“Yeah,” Jongin says. A cheeky grin flashes in front his eyes, and he smiles despite himself. “As a human.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> 紅蓮 = Guren = Crimson Lotus  
> While a homage to my anime bae, it is also used as a reference to the [lotus tattoo ](https://www.askideas.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Black-And-Grey-Mandala-Lotus-Tattoo-On-Man-Left-Back-Shoulder.jpg)on Jongin's shoulder, and how it becomes stained with blood.
> 
>    
> [Click for Links!](https://bluedveins.wixsite.com/evoxine)


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